I have come across two news articles that CHALLENGE one’s moral universe. It’s like the whole butter-is-bad-NO-butter-is-good controversy, though I own NOT quite as close to the heart.
Morally Challenging Traffic Choice
Consider that moment when you see a sign on the highway indicating that your lane is going to be closed in a couple miles–and how you continue driving on but start feeling the moral pressure to merge into the other–more virtuous–lane. The Virtuous Lane is now slowing down, as drivers leave the other lane–now identified as the CHEATERS lane–to take their place with the Good Citizen Drivers. The moral force to join the Good Citizens is very impelling.
But now various traffic engineers are telling us to resist! We should, they say, continue on in the Cheaters Lane, thus creating the zipper merge–so much more effective in moving traffic. They are going to have to think up some very potent messaging to counter the feeling of entering the dark side by continuing on the soon-to-be-closed lane.
Particularly in Minnesota.
Morally Challenging Escalator Choice
When using the escalator, it is understood that those unfortunately unable to USE THEIR LIMBS stand to the right so that those of us blessed with the ability to walk can pass by. However, escalator engineers have discovered that the escalators are suffering from this uneven use, and would be more robust (=break less often) if EVERYONE just stepped on and then stood there like flabby suitcases on a luggage carousel. HA! Good luck with that one, escalator engineers! NOT going to happen. As it happens, this was a story in China, where there are billions of people using the escalators, and anyway in the west the escalators change direction, do not always tediously go in the same direction.
So I believe we can blow our noses in the direction of that idea.
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